


School Idols in bloom

by Ash0605



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Ayumu claps hey isnt that cool, Birthday, Crack-ish? I'm not sure tbh, Epic pranks, Everyone Is Gay, Gardening, Gen, Kasumi gets epicly owned by Shioriko, She didn't stan the fang hard enough, Tags Are Hard, an attempt at comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26844202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ash0605/pseuds/Ash0605
Summary: Kasumi told her that school idols are like flowers. Though the concept of flowers blooming can be a metaphor for the realisation of any talent, Shioriko doesn't recognise the true meaning of this in regards to school idols until she officially joins the club.Happy Birthday Shioriko!
Relationships: Mifune Shioriko/Nakasu Kasumi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 18





	School Idols in bloom

There was something about tending flowers that Shioriko wished she had come to appreciate sooner. There was so much to gain from investing time, effort and water into gardening; the satisfaction of planning a raised bed for the autumn and seeing it develop and blossom over time, the relaxing smell of thyme under her feet or the vivid explosion of colour produced by an array of flowers in bloom. The warm gratitude of an older woman or child while out volunteering was invigorating, but there was something about taking a hosepipe to a bed of thirsty plants that was just as potent.

Unfortunately, her gardening partner of 90 minutes and counting didn’t appreciate the same things she did. Though the sound of most of her movements were obscured by the sound of water rushing out of the hosepipe in her hand, the occasional stomp or slide rose above the sound.

“Are you sure you haven’t practiced your choreography enough?” Shioriko asked, turning around to face the girl dancing behind her.

Kasumi stopped in her tracks and pouted. “Someone of my cuteness always has to be on top of my game!”

“I admire your passion, but it would help if you got on top of the job we’ve been assigned. The schools gardens aren’t going to care for themselves.” She placed her hands on her hips for emphasis, making sure that the hose was still directed towards the flowers.

“Sure, the gardens aren’t going to water themselves but you’re currently on that, so no worries!”

Shioriko sighed quietly. Time to stoop to her level. “What are you even trying to emulate back there? Are you trying to…” She placed a hand on her chin as her mind searched though the memories of multiple Kasumi interactions. “…land an airplane?”

“Of course! I’m trying to replicate the intricate hand movements and signs and move around with the safety of an entire flight resting on my shoulders!” Shioriko kept her sigh of disappointment as inaudible as possible, but it wasn’t quiet enough. She felt a hand firmly grasp her shoulder. “You know, you really aren’t good at this. Your attempts to clown on me don’t work.”

Shioriko tilted her head, feigning ignorance. “They don’t?”

“Don’t look at me like that. You bring up dirt from the past to try and embarrass me, but that doesn’t work anymore. Do you want to know why?”

Shioriko turned to the flowerbed, the gentle pink of the roses being nicer to look at than the pink eyes glaring at her from behind. “Not particularly.”

“It’s because I go home and think of comebacks! I mull it over, so that Shizuko, Karin or even you can’t fool me!” Kasumi explained triumphantly. “You can fool me once, but never twice.”

“That must be why you never turn in your homework.” Shioriko countered bluntly.

“What?”

“You get embarrassed so many times at school you spend your evenings thinking about how to get back at them.” She didn’t turn around, hoping to make a statement out of not observing Kasumi’s (hopefully) embarrassed expression. “That’s not the ‘epic comeback’ you think it is.”

“You think you know about ‘epic comebacks’? I’m the master of them!” She felt a pointed finger lightly prod her back. “Mark my words! I will prank before we go home today!”

“Can’t you just go back to practicing your airplane gestures?”

“Sorry Shioriko-san, but the time for peace has passed.” Shioriko heard the sound of footsteps grow fainter and fainter behind her. “Be ready for me!”

Shioriko replied with an unamused wave. “Have fun.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Shioriko had half an hour of peace after Kasumi wandered off, during which she had watered the roses, the camellias, the fruit trees and the thyme bed. She was even able to take a picture of a stray cat, which reminded her to replenish the bird feeders and fill up the public pet food bowls. She returned to watering another part of the garden with her hosepipe, and the sound of rushing water concealed Kasumi’s footprints behind her.

Shioriko said nothing as water droplets fell into her hair and rain down her cheek. She had jumped out of her seat when Kasumi had first pranked her, but she learned over time that Kasumi’s schemes didn’t warrant a reaction. Though, the lack of a reaction seemed to do nothing to deter Kasumi from trying anything.

“I can’t believe it took you half an hour to find a watering can.” Shioriko said, sighing disappointedly.

“I’m watering the school idol~!” Kasumi cooed. “Did you know school idols are like plants?”

“Are they really?”

“Yes! You put in lots of time and effort and practice, and they bloom to become really radiant and special!”

Shioriko hummed introspectively. That did make sense, though that analogy could be applied to the realization of any talent through practice and hard work. “That actually makes sense-“

“But no matter how cute or radiant you become, you’ll always be second to Kasumin~!”

Never mind, Kasumi didn’t deserve any credit. “Wow that’s interesting!” Shioriko droned monotonously. “Does Kasumi need lots of sunlight?”

“Lots of sunlight! My fair skin will wilt if it doesn’t get the sunlight it needs!”

“Interesting! What about care and attention?”

“I need so much care and attention! Make sure not to take your eyes off me!”

‘ _More like you need constant parental supervision_.’ Shioriko thought. “What about food? Do I feed you like I do with plant food?”

“Of course, but I need cute treats and sweets instead of typical plant food!”

Shioriko felt her mouth curl into a slightly mischievous smile. “And water? Does Kasumi get thirsty?”

“Constantly thirsty- AHHHHHH!“

The watering can in Kasumi’s hand toppled to the floor, its contents spilling everywhere. Kasumi was knocked off of her tiptoes and onto her butt as Shioriko turned the hosepipe on her, spraying her stomach with a strong jet of water.

“Here’s some water for you! I can’t have you being thirsty!” Shioriko yelled, fighting to raise her voice above the hosepipe and Kasumi’s screaming.

Kasumi floundered around on the floor, struggling to pick between shielding herself or trying to scramble away. “TOO MUCH! TOO MUCH WATER!”

“Oh dear!” Shioriko turned the hose back on the flowers, chuckling to herself as she did so. “I can’t overwater you!”

Kasumi rose to her knees, clutching her arms around her stomach. “I spent half an hour thinking of my prank, and you turn the hosepipe on me!”

“So it did take you half an hour to find a watering can!”

“S-Shut up!”

Shioriko returned her attention to the garden with a satisfied smile, basking in the afterglow of her ‘epic comeback’ for a few seconds before a chorus of applause prompted her to turn around. The other members of the club were all behind her, serenading her with praise.

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations Shioriko-san!”

“Woo! Congratulations!”

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations. Rina-chan board: ecstatic.”

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulayyyyyyyyy-tions!”

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations!”

“W-wait, where did you all come from?” Kasumi exclaimed.

Shioriko dropped the hosepipe into the flower bed and raised her palms out in front of her, stepping back in confusion. “W-what’s going on?”

Yu stepped forward, raising a hand to quiet the applause. “Shioriko Mifune, you have officially succeeded in the club initiation ceremony! You are now an official member of the Nijigasaki School Idol Club!” Yu announced proudly. “Can I get a hoo-yah?”

“HOO-YAH!” cried the others.

“Wait… hold on! I’ve been a member for 2 months?”

“It seems like you haven’t read the clubs constitution.” Yu deadpanned, quickly producing a document from her bag. She let it roll out onto the floor, eventually opening out at Shioriko’s feet. She worked through the document quickly to find the article she was looking for, clearing her breath after she did so. “ _According to article 25 of the Nijigasaki Academy School Idol Clubs constitution, someone officially becomes a member when they have clowned on club member Nakasu Kasumi. This clause applies regardless of whether she is in the same club or in the same school. The hilarity of the prank has no bearing on whether the member is accepted, but more hilarious pranks are encouraged_. For those who aren’t quite sure, this is the clause after the one that defines the official measurement of the club to be Karin’s moles (km).” Yu started to roll the document back up, an act which was only accompanied by Ayumu’s applause.

Shioriko took a few seconds to process everything she had just been told. “So does anything… change now?!”

“To be honest, not really.” Yu shrugged. “Its just a joke ritual we do. It doesn’t have much meaning.”

“So I’ve been a member since I joined?”

“Yes.”

Shioriko breathed a sigh of relief.

“I will not let this slight stand, senpai!” Kasumi announced angrily, pointing a finger at Yu and rising to her feet. “I will get the PowerPoint out again!”

“The PowerPoint where you put mugshots of me next to mugshots of idol producers? I don’t understand? The thing about a joke is that people have to find It funny.” Yu countered in a deadpan voice.

“C-CAN IT!”

Shioriko stood back and observed as the pandemonium played out in front of her. As she returned to the flowers, she also found herself returning to Kasumi’s analogy.

_“Did you know school idols are like plants?”_

Perhaps Kasumi did deserve a bit of credit after all. Sure, you could equivalate all talent to the metaphor of flowers blooming, but you couldn’t appreciate what that truly meant until you tried it for yourself. The hard work, the determination, the camaraderie, the friendships, the… whatever was happening behind her. School idols really were like flowers, and Shioriko couldn’t truly appreciate everything that went into making them bloom while she trying to crush them under her bootheel.

**Author's Note:**

> If Shioriko club initiation memes aren't dead already they certainly are now. I don't know much about Shioriko to be honest, though I can relate to her being a fan of volunteering! Keeping up with the story of SIFAS is insufferable with the constant repetition of songs and the fact my game crashes trying to download anything, so I apologise If I've portrayed her as out of character. She's a good bean though! 
> 
> On another unrelated note, I've been writing for four months now, and I'm not really sure how I'm still alive. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! If you have any comments or feedback feel free to leave them here! If you want to reach out to me on twitter feel free to do so at @ash060500
> 
> I hope you have a good rest of your day and I wish you the best in staying safe!


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